Our family kayaks are spacious, stable and tough (I don’t know about yours, but my kids tend to ruin anything that is not highly durable).We have tandem family kayaks and solo family kayaks – this video will point out the pros and cons of each model.
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Imagine the smiles and the excitement of their first paddle! And then, imagine how well they will sleep after a fun-filled day out in nature 😉
Taking your kids kayaking when they are little is such a wonderful gift to give them. They will learn the value of exercise, develop a love of the outdoors and you get to spend quality time together as a family. But like any kind of adventure with little kids, you need the right equipment to make it a safe and enjoyable experience for all of you. View the video for advice on choosing the right one for your crew.
Fact...kids are great at breaking things so quality matters. Your kayak is a pretty expensive item for them to be honing their product testing skills on, so make sure you get a kayak that can take a beating and is designed for the outdoors... not the pool.
Stability is important when kayaking with kids for a few reasons:
To really relax and enjoy the experience, instead of whinging the whole time, children need to be comfortable in the kayak. Ideally, you want a kayak where they can lie down in and have a nap.
Nobody is happy when they are cold, especially not children. Unless you will be paddling somewhere very warm, opt for a sit-in style kayak – they are generally dry and the cockpit provides protection from the wind.
The AdvancedFrame Convertible Elite is a fantastic family kayak with high performance and plenty of room.
You can unzip the zipper on the deck and fit a child in the bow area, no problem. In fact, this one is a fan favourite with us and our families.
It’s spacious, comfy, and durable – that’s basically what you’re looking for in a family kayak.
This is the AirVolution2 Kayak is a stable kayak but not quite as spacious as the Convertible Elite.
It’s not quite as comfy for the kids simply because the drop-stitch sides are hard whereas the side tubes of the Convertible Elite are a bit softer. The cockpit is actually slightly smaller, because you can’t access the area under the deck on the AirVolution2 the way you can access the area under the deck on the Convertible Elite.
With one child, it is easy peasy, you have heaps of space, but 2 kids is a squeeze.
The StraitEdge2 Pro is a smaller kayak than the others (it’s 4 meters long), but the cockpit size doesn’t actually end up being smaller because you can get the rear seat all the way back by loosening the straps of the rear seat.
It's also one of the lightest tandems in the store weighing in at only 18kgs making transportation a little easier. It doesnt have the performance of the Convertible Elite though and you will get a little wet as this one, being a sit-on-top is a little more open to the elements.
The AdvancedFrame Expedition Elite kayak is great for family kayaking, there’s heaps of room. We have managed to fit two children in the front with the zipper unzipped, but it can be a squeeze. One child fits very nicely though.
The StraitEdge Angler Pro has so much space you could easily fit 2 kids in it.
In this picture, you could have the second child sitting with their back against the front thwart, facing the paddler.
With the AirVolution kayak, you can fit one child, depending on the size of the adult and the size of the kid.
It’s certainly stable enough, but you can’t get your legs under the deck, you both have to fit within the visible cockpit.
The advantage of the AdvancedFrame Sport Elite is that there is actually additional room under the deck for your child.
It’s not a big kayak, so it really only works if both you and the child are fairly small.
The AdvancedFrame Elite kayak is the same size as the Sport Elite, but it has the advantage of having the zippable deck – you get that little bit extra room for them to sit and face you. Once again this will depend on the size of you and your passenger.
The StraitEdge is similar to the Angler Pro as there is room behind and in front of the paddler.
If you can fit a reasonable size dog in, you can generally fit a child. There’s heaps of room in the back.
